These are some of our favorite things to do in Turkmenistan. Discuss incorporating some of these ideas into your own travel itinerary.

Visit the black sand desert called the Karakum…shop for camels and carpets at the Sunday Tolkuchka Bazaar in the capital Ashghabad, a far flung outpost…visit the Carpet Museum to view the world's largest handwoven rug…in Merv, explore by foot and take in the sites like the Sultan Sanjar's Mausoleum and the ruins at Kyz-Kala…study desert flora and fauna at the research center in the Repetek Desert Reserve…check out the dinosaur footprints at the Kugitang Nature Reserve, a starkly beautiful land of waterfalls and caves…take an adventurous 8-day camel trek from Merv across the Karakum Desert to the north…in Konye-Urgentch, see the slightly crooked Kutlug Temir minaret and Torebeg Khanym Mausoleum or take a hike in the surrounding mountains for excellent views of the town and the sea.